HOW TO HIRE · TRADES & CONSTRUCTION

How to hire a chimney repairer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to chimney repairers; safe access and an honest scope do. The checks, the questions and what to be shown.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a chimney repairer in five steps

  1. Photograph the stackCracked pointing, loose pots, stained chimney breast inside.
  2. Insist on proper accessScaffold or a platform around the stack for anything beyond a quick look.
  3. Get a written scopeRepointing, flashing, pots, flaunching or a rebuild, itemised.
  4. Ask about the flueIf the chimney serves a stove or boiler, the flue is a separate check.
  5. Get photos and a guaranteeBefore and after, and the workmanship guarantee in writing.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence is needed to trade as a roofer anywhere in the four nations; for the chimney work the law regulates how work at height is done, under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, with Northern Ireland's own regulations of the same year. For the chimney work, a trader should hold public liability insurance; check the insurer and the cover. Trader status matters: it brings the Consumer Rights Act 2015 into play, and under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 an off-premises or online booking usually has 14 days' cancellation, with any work you asked to start early charged for and personalised goods outside the right.

Ask what access the chimney work will use, and see it on the quote. Before booking the chimney work, ask to see current insurance and check the Locufy profile for its trader and ID badges. hse.gov.uk →

Ladders for short jobs only

A ladder suits only brief, low-risk work in HSE's view — up to 30 minutes at a stretch, at a 1-in-4 angle — so a full day on the chimney work needs a tower or scaffold under the Work at Height Regulations.

Ask what access is planned if the chimney work will take more than a short visit. hse.gov.uk →

Flues and appliances

If the chimney serves a gas appliance, any work on the flue connected to it is gas work that only a Gas Safe registered engineer may do for pay, under the 1998 gas safety Regulations.

Ask whether the chimney work touches a flue that serves a gas fire or boiler, and who will check it. legislation.gov.uk →

Bats (England)

In England, Natural England treats a bat roost as protected whether or not bats are present, so if the chimney work could disturb one, a survey and a licence may be needed first.

For an older roof space, ask whether a bat survey is needed before the chimney work. gov.uk →

VAT

VAT on chimney repairs is charged at the standard 20%, and any business turning over more than £90,000 a year in taxable sales has to register, add it to the price and set it out on its own line.

Ask for the VAT number, and look for VAT as its own line on the chimney quote, scaffold included. gov.uk →

“What exactly is wrong with the chimney?”

A good answer: A diagnosis with photos: pointing, cracked flaunching, failed flashing, or a leaning stack.

“How will you reach the chimney stack?”

A good answer: A scaffold or platform round the stack, priced; not a ladder on the roof for a day.

“Repoint, repair or rebuild?”

A good answer: An honest view of what the stack needs, and the price of each.

“Will you renew the lead flashing?”

A good answer: If it has failed, with the lead code named; patching with sealant is not a repair.

“Does the chimney serve a stove, fire or boiler?”

A good answer: If so, the flue and appliance are checked by the right engineer before reuse.

“What guarantee do you give on the chimney work?”

A good answer: A written workmanship guarantee with its length.

Getting the quote right

  • Access: scaffold or platform round the stack
  • Work itemised — repointing, flaunching, pots, flashing
  • Lead code and materials named
  • Waste removal
  • Who actually attends — the roofers working on the stack, employed or subcontracted — and the business's VAT number, with VAT at 20% shown as its own line

Walk away if

  • A day's work on the stack from a roof ladder
  • Sealant over failed flashing
  • Cold-call claim that the chimney is about to fall
  • No photos of the fault
  • No written guarantee
LOW
£250
TYPICAL
£750
HIGH
£1,500

What a chimney repairer costs: £250–£1,500 per job

Chimney repairs are priced per job; scaffolding round the stack is often the biggest single line, with lead flashing and pots adding to it. Chimney Repair price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Chimney repairers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. InspectThe stack, pots, flaunching and flashing inspected from safe access.
  2. AccessScaffold or platform erected round the stack.
  3. RepairRaking out and repointing, flaunching and pot repairs, new flashing.
  4. Check the flue openingPots and cowls secured and the opening left clear.
  5. Sign offPhotos, invoice and guarantee handed over; scaffold struck.

Stack
The part of the chimney above the roof.
Flaunching
The mortar slope around the pots on top of the stack.
Repointing
Raking out and replacing the mortar between bricks.
Lead flashing
Lead sheet sealing the joint between stack and roof.
Cowl
A cap on the pot that keeps out rain and birds.
Flue liner
A lining inside the chimney for an appliance.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep photos and the invoiceBefore-and-after photos and the itemised invoice.
Check the chimney breastAfter heavy rain, no new damp inside.
Get the flue checked before useIf the chimney serves an appliance, by the right engineer.
Write the reviewOnly booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy, so yours carries weight; if the chimney work falls short, use the make-it-right step first and the provider is asked to fix it before the review is published.

STEP 1Start with the roofer, in writingSend the roofer a short, dated account of the problem with the chimney work and the fix you want. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 implies reasonable care and skill into the contract, and section 54 gives you repeat performance or a price reduction when it is missing.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate the chimney work under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to the provider first; we follow it through. Then the review goes up.
STEP 3Dangerous or unapproved workUnsafe work at height on the chimney work can be reported to HSE, and a re-roof in England that was neither approved nor self-certified is a matter for building control. For a dispute about the chimney work with the trader, Trading Standards is reached through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Money still in disputeIf the chimney work is still not settled, you can claim without a solicitor: the small claims track takes claims up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure up to £5,000 in Scotland, and the small claims court up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a chimney repairer: questions people ask

No licence or register applies; the Work at Height Regulations govern how the work is done. Work on a flue serving a gas appliance is gas work for a Gas Safe registered engineer.

A repair to the stack generally does not; ask building control if you are removing or rebuilding a chimney, or fitting a new appliance.

£250–£1,500 a job, typically around £750. Scaffolding is often the biggest line; lead flashing or a flue liner adds to it. Use the Chimney Repair price guide to see what pushes a job up or down, and the search above to find chimney repairers in your postcode.

For most stack work, yes; HSE treats ladders as suitable only for short, low-risk jobs.

Have the flue and appliance checked first by the right engineer if it has been out of use.

In England, bat roosts in buildings are protected; roof and chimney work can affect one.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in trades & construction

How to hire: RooferHow to hire: Roof RepairHow to hire: SteeplejackHow to hire: ScaffoldingHow to hire: StonemasonHow to hire: BricklayerHow to hire: Fascias & SoffitsHow to hire: Guttering InstallationAll 701 hiring guides →

Chimney repairers near you

Chimney repairers in LondonChimney repairers in ManchesterChimney repairers in BirminghamChimney repairers in GlasgowChimney repairers in BelfastAll chimney repairers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HSE — work at height: the law
  2. HSE — work at height myths (ladders and the 30-minute guide)
  3. HSE — types of ladder and using them safely
  4. Work at Height Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005
  5. gov.uk — building work, replacements and repairs to your home (England)
  6. gov.uk — competent person schemes: current schemes and the work they cover
  7. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 3
  8. gov.uk — bats: advice for making planning decisions (England)
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  10. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  11. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — the 14-day cancellation period
  12. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  13. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started within the cancellation period
  14. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track limit (England and Wales)
  15. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — making a claim under simple procedure
  16. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  17. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  18. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  19. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register